What happened to the Axis planes after WW2?

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Do many design drawings/detailed plans exist, for example, would it be possible to build a decent replica of a Westland Whirlwind or some of the Japanese designs etc?

I've heard of companies that make replica FW190's and the like.

Has the feasibly of doing so been investigated? I can imagine there would be some wealthy enthusiasts/warbird societies that would be interested in acquiring replicas.

I know it would horrifically expensive. But there a lot of people dedicated to warbirds and preserving history.

I just find it such a shame.
 
I suspect that replica building will become more prevalent as the number of flyable remaining warbirds diminsh. I am aware of firms that produce replica Me-262's, Fw-190s, I-16s, I-15s and others, Replicas are expensive, but probably no more than original collectors' items. Plus, with modern materials, instrumentation, and sometime engines, they are probably safer. Finally, if they suffer accidents, no actual historic aircraft are lost. I put myself in the category of preservationists that would rather see no actual 1940's vinage classics risked in flight demonstrations.
 
Though nostalgia has its place 70 years on, in the Europe of 1945/6 virtually every inhabitant of the occupied countries and the U.K. would have been happy never again to see a German aircraft in the air, which is understandable if you've been attacked by them.
It's difficult, I know, to understand the hatred felt towards the Germans (more so for the Japanese, when our POWs got home,) which persisted (and still persists) for years afterwards; my father thanked me for never buying a German or Japanese car (my reasons were simply pecuniary, not national, but I didn't bother to explain, since I understood.)
Incidentally, for those who go dewy-eyed at those photos of scrap aircraft, the Fw190, stood on its nose, was a cover for a booby-trap bomb, which exploded as the aircraft was moved, killing several men.
 
Edgar Brooks said:
... Incidentally, for those who go dewy-eyed at those photos of scrap aircraft, the Fw190, stood on its nose, was a cover for a booby-trap bomb, which exploded as the aircraft was moved, killing several men.
Click to expand...
You referring to "blue 6" of 8.II/Jg26, found relatively intact by Canadian forces? Several people were killed when an American bulldozer pushed it over.

The Fw190 shown in the photos earlier in this thread is white 14, a different aircraft.
 

The move now seems to be towards reproduction rather than replica aircraft. The FlugWerk FW-190 uses original designs and plans for everything, except the engine. I have heard, but cannot confirm that they even got permission to continue the serial numbering from the original production line, the only difference between the reproduction and the original is the engine (and instruments, in this case).

The Vintage Aviator in New Zealand is taking it one step further with their WW1 reproductions. They even go to the extent of reproducing the instruments, manufacturing their own ply-wood, and manufacturing propellers so that the aircraft is made according to all original specifications.

The term 'replica' has a lot of room for artistic licence, and you often end up with an aircraft that looks similar, but in reality is nothin like the original. I'm not a huge fan of replica aircraft - put 5 replicas together and you will see 5 different aircraft. I'd rather see the originals flying, but these reproductions are the next best thing, especially with the axis aircraft where there aren't enough flyable aircraft in existance.
 

Agree completely. I don't like replicas any more than I do an inaccurate model - I figure if someone's going to go to the trouble of reproducing something, why not do it as correctly as possible? The end result more than makes up for the little bit of extra work IMO.
Likewise sad to see a beautiful restoration get trashed by a terrible paint job, as so often happens. (I remember Jerry Crandall's comment re the restoration of Fw 190D-13 Gelbes 10 - '...it's a shame it wasn't painted by a modelmaker ...')

Had read the same re the Flugwerk serial numbers too, and it's the same case for the 5 new-build Me 262s if I know right.
 
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If you have enough money you can buy a 'new' Spitfire. Remanufactured or Replica? Not sure, But I'd give my eye teeth for one.

John
 
Here in the netherlands we have a group that wants to make a G-1 replica. They have been working on the re-design for 15+ years and still a long way off. It appears that many drawings were destroyed and many modifications were done "on the flour" without drawings, making reproduction extremely difficult.
 
A4K said:
Had read the same re the Flugwerk serial numbers too, and it's the same case for the 5 new-build Me 262s if I know right.
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The serial number of the one here is 990001, the first two letters being the year of manufacture, so although the s/n is a continuation, it could be debated whether or not this is a continuation of the series. I do know though, that they have retained the original designation, but put an 'N' suffix on it - to denote a new build.

But, I do see they day when there are more replicas/reproductions flying than originals. As long as there are people out there producing faithful reproductions, I can live with it...
 
On my side I can't live with the so call Flugwerk replica.
Let me explain ; to me replica came from the French word "réplique" witch mean to duplicate the exact same thing according to all drawings details etc...
On this point I am for replica to fly rather than historical/rare aircraft.
But this had to be done most accurately as possible ( engine is often the big problem so itis okay to me ) but it appears that Flugwerk had takes huges liberty with the original Fw190 drawings ( and I've took time to look closer to these newly manufactured Fw ) ; as not repecting the correct steel thikness differencial between left and right side of the fuselage...all this to produce quickly and reduce cost of a replica. But all these resluted in great certification difficulty and some crashes. Sorry I am fed up with these replicas ; as it is sayed above making a replica takes time (years) and accuracy ! money and warbirds only makes good friends when money is regardless to what enthousiasm decide

Following up on the subbject ; a rumor ( and I am 80% this is a rumor ) says there are still hidden german factories undiscovered out there ! ( to me it might be true in the late 60 but not now ).
And to finish with this ( !! If you are German aircraft enthousiast don't read the following !! ) one of my friends once came up in the late 70's rescuing a DB605 form a scrap yard, he discovered has he told me, the entire front section of a Bf109G ; and the guy from the scrap yard told him : "this is all we got we had to cut it in half because it was too heavy for us at the time we took it" ... Kill Me Now...
 
The Axis surrendered! Terms of the surrender included destroying all their combat aircraft. In Japan they were piled up and burned.
rare photo attached of Japanese planes burning at Omura, Japan following Allied Occupation. Same thing happened all over.
 
I know in the American Aviation Historical Society Journal (AAHS Journal), Volume 18, Issue #1 from the Spring of 1973, Robert Mikesh wrote an extensive article entitled "What happened to those Japanese Planes?" which examines what happened to the IJAAF IJNAF aircraft brought back from Japan after the war. (Mikesh, if you remember was a NASM Curator for Japanese Aircraft and wrote a book I have been looking for for ages, at a reasonable price, "Japanese Aircraft Interiors, 1940-1945") I see this very issue for sale on Ebay from time to time.
 
daveT said:
The Axis surrendered! Terms of the surrender included destroying all their combat aircraft. In Japan they were piled up and burned.
Click to expand...

Yes indeed.
There are a couple of pics of some very late war LW aircraft sitting in various states of disrepair (and some brand new) with fuel soaked hay bales waiting to be set alight.
Such a waste.....of the raw materials if nothing else, particularly at a time when everyone was broke must surely have appreciated the value of refined worked materials?
 
The allies wanted them destroyed quick, and no parts salvable to put other aircraft into flying condition.
Burning was a waste, but it was the quickest, and less labor intensive too, than any other method.
 
there was a thread long about where in norway they bull dozed a bunch in a hole and covered them over. wouldnt ya like to dig them up??
 
So many aircrafts were preserved in good condition as well as enough fuel for the last battle in the Japanese homeland.
Aircrafts in Manchuria and Korea were intact. Most of them were captured by Chinese and Russian.
I miss them as an engineer.
 
The same fate, by water if not by fire, happened to the German submarines that surrendered after 8th May 1945 (operation Deadlight), losing thousand of tons of very good steel.

Photograph of surrendered submarines on the River Foyle, Londonderry. July 1945


Surrendered at Weymouth, England on 20 May, 1945


But probably finding scrap iron was not difficult in Europe in those days.
 
I had the chance by the past to discuss with people who lived by this time and I asked them this question "why destroying everything ? "
And I think now that this question was in fact "dumb" ; yes they needed to recreate Europe and Japan etc... but as they told me they also wanted to forget as quick as possible what happened during this war. As my Grand father was in forced labour camp making Subs, he never spoked me of this ( just once ) despite I was very interested in WWII.
So I think getting scrapped steel etc... is just part of the answer ; firstly I think they wanted to forget about those who make them suffer and by extension what represented them as aircrafts etc... and by that time a preserving a sub or an aircraft was not as prioritary as getting food one day after an other...
 
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